Joint public utilities set to start clicking

Saturday

Jun 28, 2008 at 6:30 PM

By Chris Mazzolini, Staff Writer

Three years of hard work and political wrangling to merge water and sewer services in New Hanover County culminated Thursday with the flick of a pen.Actually, many flicks from many pens, on many piles of legal documents."I don't even know where to start," joked Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo, one of many officials who came to the Wilmington city attorney's office Thursday to sign stacks of documents that will transfer the city's water and sewer assets to the new Cape Fear Public Utility Authority on Tuesday.While the authority was legally born last year after votes by the Wilmington city council and the New Hanover county commissioners, on Tuesday the authority will take its first steps from the arms of its governmental parents. That day, the fledgling authority assumes control of all the county and city's utility employees and water and sewer assets, totaling about $500 million, and becomes responsible for providing services for about 62,000 utility customers."We are very busy," said Matt Jordan, the authority's executive director.Jordan said the authority is moving into its offices at a new building at 235 Government Center Drive, across the street from the county government center.What will the change mean for the authority's new customers? The main difference is that rates are changing, effective Tuesday.Under the new rates, the average city customer will pay a few dollars less while the average county customer will pay a few bucks more.The average customer will pay about $91 every two months. The average customer has a 5/8-inch water meter and uses 12,000 gallons every two months.But customers' bills will depend on how much water they use: the rate structure allows customers who conserve water to save money. Customers should receive their first bills from the authority in mid July, Jordan said.Customers should not notice any difference in service because all of the city and county employees will transfer over to the authority and maintain their current jobs. Jordan said the authority will have about 280 employees at the start, though some positions are vacant.Elected officials who had worked for nearly three years to pull it off called the transition "historic" and said it will usher in a new era of more efficient utility service for Wilmington and county residents. The city and county in September 2005 passed a concurrent resolution to move forward with consolidation."We feel it's going to be an improvement of the overall system," Saffo said Thursday. "We think it will be a much more efficiently run system."Commissioner Bill Kopp, chairman of the county water and sewer district, said he has pushed for utility consolidation since he was elected in 2004. He said the authority will better provide service to residents because that will be its sole responsibility.While the authority will operate independently, the city and county still will hold some control. Four slots on the 11-member authority board are held by elected officials from the city and county. The rest of the board is appointed by the city council and county commissioners.Chris Mazzolini: 343-2223chris.mazzolini@starnewsonline.com